Visual Arts

These are the arts that meet the eye and evoke an emotion through an expression of skill and imagination. They include the most ancient forms, such as painting and drawing, and the arts that were born thanks to the development of technology, like sculpture, printmaking, photography, and installation art. Though beauty is in the eye of the beholder, different eras in art history have had their own principles to define beauty, from the richly ornamented taste of the Baroque to the simple utilitarian style of the Prairie School.
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Featured content, April 15, 2024

What’s Inside the Great Pyramid?
Are there mummies inside the Great Pyramid? Hieroglyphs? Hidden treasure? Ghosts? Find out!
Street Photography: How a Single Camera Brought About a Genre
The invention of the Leica camera allowed photographers to move through the streets and capture moments that come and go...
Flemish art
Flemish art, art of the 15th, 16th, and early 17th centuries in Flanders and in the surrounding regions including Brabant,...
Syro-Palestinian art and architecture
Syro-Palestinian art and architecture, the art and architecture of ancient Syria and Palestine. The countries bordering the...
Gothic art
Gothic art, the painting, sculpture, and architecture characteristic of the second of two great international eras that flourished...
Okwui Enwezor
Okwui Enwezor Nigerian-born poet, art critic, art historian, and curator who helped bring global attention to African art....

Visual Arts Quizzes

Quiz: Name These Historical Fashion Trends
If bell bottoms are back in style, why not these other historical trends? See how much you know about fashion through the...
Modern Art: Who Sculpted It?
If you’re looking to up your modern art game, this is the quiz for you.
More Art and Colors Quiz
Which is an acid yellow-green shade that shares its name with a liqueur distilled by French Carthusian monks? Who produced...
The Origins of Colors, Pigments, and Dyes
What insect was used as a source of tannic acid to create an intense black dye? What is the color of the larger violins produced...
Who Painted the Most Expensive Paintings in the World?
Art lasts forever. (Mostly.) Which can make it a good investment. Take this quiz to test your knowledge of some of the...
Quiz: Ancient Illustrations Showing Us the Way
In which cave do prehistoric ochre and manganese oxide paintings show what may be arrows flying toward a horse? Which Classical...
Famous Paintings Quiz
Find out if you can recognize a few of the most iconic paintings in Western art.
Name that Painter!
Can you tell a Monet from a Manet?
Name That Color!
Can you tell chartreuse from vermilion?
Name Even More Colors!
Talk like a pro at an art supply store
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Visual Arts
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Visual Arts Subcategories

Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa Architecture
Architecture is a sphere of art and design in which functionality and aesthetics can combine to produce visually stunning structures that manage to both catch the eye and serve a functional purpose. The expansive variety of architectural styles that have been employed throughout the ages underscores the fact that not every building need look the same, a principle that is readily apparent when comparing Gothic cathedrals with igloos or pagodas with cliff dwellings. Although architecture is commonly associated first and foremost with the design and construction of buildings, landscape architects may work with gardens, parks, and other planned outdoor areas, aiding in the development and decorative planning of such spaces.
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subcategory placeholder Arts Awards
Awards such as the Praemium Imperiale and the Pritzker Prize honor artists for a job well done.
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interior of a Kabuki theater Decorative Art
People appreciate the usefulness of things like glassware and furniture, but they appreciate such objects even more when they’re aesthetically pleasing, too. That’s where decorative art comes in. Explore the world of basketry, metalwork, pottery, interior design, tapestry, and more.
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shoe Fashion & Personal Adornment
Looking to make a statement without ever saying a word? Fashion designers know that clothing and accessories can speak volumes about the wearer, affecting both how the wearer is perceived by others and how the wearer perceives of him- or herself. The fashion industry has become a multibillion-dollar global enterprise devoted to the business of making and selling clothes; it thrives by being diverse and flexible enough to gratify any consumer's desire to embrace or reject fashionability, however that term might be defined.
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William Blake Graphic Art
Calligraphy, graffiti, engraving, caricature: graphic art's domain stretches as far as the eye can see. Take a look at some of the other types of graphic art, and learn more about the artists working within this category of fine arts.
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James Turrell Installation & Performance Art
Learn about the artists who create installation art, which can incorporate a variety of different materials and artistic forms, such as sculptures, videos, and music, all with the purpose of transforming a given space. Performance artists may also make use of videos and music—as well as such varied elements as acting, poetry, dance, and painting—to create a live presentation for an audience; here, the audience could consist of onlookers on the street or patrons browsing the halls of a museum, among countless other possibilities.
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Vincent van Gogh: The Large Plane Trees (Road Menders at Saint-Rémy) Painting
Need help distinguishing your Picassos from your Monets? Learn about history’s celebrated painters and the different styles, techniques, mediums, and forms that have been used to create such unique visual images as Salvador Dalí’s melting clock and the ever-shifting eyes of Leonardo da Vinci’s enigmatic Mona Lisa.
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Dada exhibit Photography
Photography’s history began long before we were snapping pictures on camera phones. Learn about the masters of the craft and explore the development of photographic technology as it progressed through daguerreotypes and tintypes on the way to modern day’s increasingly sophisticated digital cameras.
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subcategory placeholder Sculpture
Looking to find a use for that extra clay, stone, plaster, or metal that you have lying around? Consider sculpture, in which artists employ these materials and others to create three-dimensional art. Perhaps you’ll join the ranks of noted sculptors such as Michelangelo, Auguste Rodin, and Donatello.
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